Snap-lock.



A. W. PRESCOTT.

SNAP LOCK. MHPLICATION FILED APR. 18. 1917.

A My ARTHURW.DPESCOTT A TTORNE Y8 L I INVENTOB S TES ARTHUR W. PRESCOTT,OF BINGHAMTON, NEW YQRK.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Application filed April 18, 1917. Serial No. 162,888.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. Pnnsoo'rr, a citizen of the United States,and a resldent of Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Snap-Locks, of lwhich the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in snap locks, and has for its object toprovide alock of the character specified, especially adapted'forconnecting the ends of sheet metal pipes and fittings or for locking aseam of any character, wherein the arrangement is such that the seam canbe instantly and permanently locked without the use of tools, andwithout the necessity of soldering or setting down. In the'drawings:Figure 1 is a perspective view of the meetends of pipe sections providedwith the improved lock;

Fig. 2 is an'end View of the connecting seam of the sectionsjin Fig. 1;

F' 3 is a sectional view of the seam showing a modified form of lock;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the members of the seam shown inFig. 3;

Fig. 5 an end view of another modi- Y fication; and

Fig. 6 1s a perspective view of a modified form of locking lug.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and2 is shown inconnection with wall pipe sections 1 and 2, the improved lock beingarranged to lockthe ends of the sections, and to also lock the side seamof the sections. It will be noticed from an inspection of Fig. 1 thateach of the side walls of the pipe section 2 is provided with a speciesof gutter, formed by upon'the outer face of the side wall, as indicatedat 3, and then.upwardly, as indicated at 4, and the free edge of theflange is bent inwardly and downwardly, as shown at- 5, toform a hook atthe opening of the gutter. Each of the side walls, as before stated, isprovided with this gutter and hook, and the side walls of the section 1have struck-11p lugs or ears 6,, which are adapted to be slipped withinthe gutter, withthe edge of the side wall, and to engage beneath thehook 5 to lock the parts in place. Lateral movement of the walls withrespect to each other is prevented by the engagement of the end walls ofthe pipe sections, and movement of the sections away from each other isabsoback a flange I lutely prevented by the engagement of the lugs 6with the hook. The side seams are connected in precisely the samemanner, one of the edges of the sheet being bent backwardly on the outerface of the side edge of the sheet, as indicated at 7, and thenforwardly toward the edge of the sheet, as indicated at 8, and the freeedge of the portion of the outer wall 8 of the gutter has the hook 9corresponding to the hook 5 at the ends of the pipe. The other side edgeof the seam has the struck-up lugs or ears 10, and it will be evidentthat when this side edge of the sheet is slipped into the gutter formedby the walls 7 and 8 the lugs 10 will enga e the hook 9 to preventdisplacement of t e connected side edges of the sheet.

In Fig. 3 is showna modified arrangement, wherein the side edges 11 and12 of the sheet are both rovidedflwith gutters. The side edge 11 of thesheet has its free edge bent over upon the body of the sheet in spacedrelation, as'indicated at 13, and the free edge of the said wall orflange has a hook 14. .The side edge 12 of the sheet has aportion 15bent over upon the face of the sheet in spaced relation, and thisportion or flange 15 has the struck-up. lugs 16. With this arrangementthe outer walls or flanges of the gutters are slipped into each other,and the lugs, springing beneath the hook 14, hold the members together.

. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 5, one of the sidewalls 17 of the,

'21. With this arrangement the side edge 17 is pushed into the gutter1920, when the lugs 21 swing beneath the hook to hold the parts inposition.

In Fig. 6 a modified construction of looking lug 1s shown. In thisarrangement, one side edge 22 of the seam has pairs of parallel slits inits edge, and the material between the slits is bent back, as indicatedat 23, to form the locking lug. It is obvious also that the entire edgeof the sheet may be turned back to form the lug instead of portions, asindicated in Fig. 6.

The lugs or ears 16 may be of any desired size or shape, and they may bespaced at any desired distance from each other. The lock otheredgehaving struck-up lugs adapted is especially advantageous for use inpipe, to enter the gutter with the edge, the gutter since the pipe canbe shipped with the seams having an inturned flange at one Wallthereunlocked, thereby allowing-it to be nested of for engagement by thelugs to lock the 5 in compact form, and the side seams can be edgestogether, said lugs belng bent out- 15 instantly, snapped together.wardly a suflicient distance to spring beneath I claim: the-flange Whenthey have passed the flange In sheet-metal Work, a self-locking seam, inmoving into the gutter. one of the edges of the seam having a gutter I i10 for receiving the other edge, and the said ARTHUR W. PRESCOTT.

